JEDDAH, 18 June 2005 — Three successive classes of graduates of Effat College will celebrate the end of their bachelor studies at a graduation ceremony tonight. Thirty-seven students for the academic years 2003, 2004 and 2005 will graduate from the college, which is under the support of Princess Sara Al-Faisal, chair of Effat College’s Board of Trustees.
The Effat graduates specialize in majors including Computer Science, Information Systems, English language and translation, Kindergarten and Psychology. Each student, as part of the college’s degree program, undergoes training in industry during the course through internship programs.
Asia Sheikh graduated from Effat College in 2004 with a degree in Information Systems and now works as a teacher’s assistant at the college.
“I am inclined to the industrial field where I can apply my knowledge in real life, but I found it difficult to enter (the industry) because it is a typically male field,” Sheikh told Arab News. “I would like to be a business analyst, which is where women are mostly directed to,” she said. Her next step is to go for a master’s degree in the US.
Lamees Madani of the Career Development Office at Effat College said that 16 of their graduates are working in organizations such as Gulf Hill & Knowlton, Zahid Tractors Co., and Saudi German Hospital. Other graduates are looking for a job or pursuing higher education. “We arrange workshops for the students before they graduate to develop their skills and prepare them for job interviews. After they are employed we follow up on their career and get feedback,” said Madani.
Effat College, established six years ago, was the first private university college for girls in the Kingdom. Last fall, the college opened five new majors in Management: Accounting, Industrial Management, Management Information Systems, Finance and Marketing. The curriculum for these majors was approved in coordination with King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran. The Effat College recently signed a cooperative agreement with Georgetown University to develop the curriculum for these new majors.
The Effat College also look forward to offering the first major for women in electrical and computer engineering in the Kingdom this fall through a program designed in cooperation with Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering. A major in architecture is also planned.
Recently, the college signed a memorandum of understanding with the Canadian education network, LaSalle College of Canada, to establish an academy of fashion designing.
The first phase will begin with a fashion designing program and additional programs will be offered later including fashion production and marketing, digital media, interior design, graphic and advertising design and electronic games design.
